How Do You Measure Success?

Happy New Year everyone - this is a great time to focus on our life plan and define what success means to you. Hopefully it's not just money. In the movie, "Wall Street," Martin Sheen argues with his son, Charlie Sheen, over whether Michael Douglas intends to exploit the father's company, which is the subject of a takeover bid. The father said to his son, "What you see is a man who never measured a man's success by the size of his wallet."

How do you measure success? Does success mean providing for your family and raising good kids? Are there people in your life who love you and believe in you? What gives you a sense of satisfaction?

Ask yourself how you want to be remembered. If you wrote your own eulogy today, what would it say? What would you like it to say?

Ralph Waldo Emerson defined success with these words: "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded."

I wouldn't have writte
"A Message from Garcia" if I didn't believe it would help people succeed. I believe we get the success that we deserve. If we work hard at it and are willing to learn and change, we will succeed.

My philosophy of life is that the good guys always win. If you commit yourself to values like integrity and honor, you'll always come out ahead.

I believe everything happens for a reason and there are no coincidences. In fact, I believe that coincidences are God's way of staying anonymous in our life's plans.

If you assume everyone has something to teach you, there are no chance encounters because you'll learn from each and every person you meet.

I believe strongly in pursuing your passions in whatever field makes you happy. You can pursue those passions by finding a mentor who's already established in the field that intrigues you.

Write down your goals by using the successcompass.com program and get reminded three times a day to activate your subconscious mind. Refer to it often and focus on what it is you want to achieve, and develop the navigation steps to achieve them. Make sure you're making progress toward your dreams everyday.
Take the word failure out of your vocabulary. You should learn a lesson from every mistake you make. Go back to the drawing board and try again with the knowledge you gained.

You should always pursue excellence, both professionally and personally. The profession you're in can always stand improvement. And as a person, you can make improvements by seeking knowledge and living up to your commitments as an ethical human being. Every day make a conscious effort to do better.

I take the lessons I learned while serving in the United States military very seriously. In particular, I always think about the three values we were taught to uphold: "Integrity First"; "Service Before Self"; and "Excellence In All We Do." I firmly believe that public service is the responsibility of all of us and we owe a duty to the community we live in.

And finally, I believe that within each of us is "ganas," the desire to achieve more. With "ganas," you can achieve your dreams. If you don't have it now, you need to find out what makes you tick and what puts a fire in your belly. You need to find what it is you're passionate about, whether it's in your business or your personal life.

The words of author George Be
ard Shaw capture my outlook on what lies ahead. "Life is no brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."

What is the legacy that you hope to leave behind? If it's only money and material things, it won't be much of a legacy. Grab hold of your own torch and charge forward, shedding light on a path that may now be only darkness toward a future that is bright and filled with opportunity.

Please feel free to share this useful information with your family, freinds and accociates by simply forwarding this message to them.